At 75½ Bedford Street in Greenwich Village, this tiny New York address has a huge history and it could be all yours for $4.3 million.

The property might have started life as a laneway but today it’s a famous house, in one of New York’s most desirable neighbourhoods, surrounded by grand and historic homes.

Apparently it is New York City’s narrowest house. Inside at its widest, the walls are just over, a very cozy, two metres and 60 centimetres apart. At its narrowest it’s a 60 centimetre squeeze. Front to back it measures just over 10 and a half metres.

Millay house

Its diminutive size isn’t its only claim to fame – the house has had more than its fair share of famous residents.

The most notable of those occupants, after whom the house was named, was the Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, who lived there in the early 1920s.

Millay was famous for her many love affairs, openly bisexual lifestyle and her writing on female sexuality and feminism. She described her time living in New York as “very, very poor and very, very merry”.

“My candle’s burning at both endsIt will not last the night.But Oh my foes, and Ah my friendsIt sheds a lovely light.”

She certainly didn’t pen that poem in the house – there’s barely enough room to hold a candle lit at both ends in there without scorching the walls.

Other famous residents included the devilishly handsome screen legends Cary Grant and John Barrymore (Drew’s grandfather), the anthropologist Margaret Mead as well as the cartoonist William Steig, who created the now-famous Shrek for a children’s book in 1990.

Historical records show that the house was constructed in 1873, but there is evidence that it existed before that time, but was just not recorded.

How exactly do you overlook an entire house? Its presence certainly would have made navigating the alley that was there before rather difficult. Selling agents put the house’s date of origin closer to 1850.

The three-story house and basement took over what was a carriage entrance between numbers 75 and 77 that lead to the stables behind.

The building itself has a colourful history, apparently serving as a cobbler’s shop, a brewery and then a sweet factory until the 1920s.

In the early ’20s, Greenwich Village became a centre for Bohemian life. Attracted by the creative fervour, Millay and her husband moved in and renovated the home from the original Italianate to the Dutch Colonial style that is seen today. They added the casement windows, a Dutch stepped gable and a skylight that transformed the top floor into a bright and airy studio for Millay.

In 1952, the house and others around it came close to being demolished. Kenneth Carroad, a lawyer and Village resident, bought the house to save it and his family lived there for many years.

In 1982, the Carroad family advertised the house for $US350,000.

In the mid ’90s it was sold for a reported $US270,000 to Cedric Wilson and Christopher Dubs, an architect; they spent another $US200,000 on major renovations.

A neighbour said at the time that “it was in dire need of repair”. “It was a mess. I was afraid to use the stairs inside.”

In 1999, Dubs advertised the house for $US2.75 million, but records show a disappointing sale price of $US1.6 million, paid by Steven Balsamo in 2000.

It was advertised again in 2009 by Balsamo for $US2.75 million, later reduced to $US2.499 million and eventually sold for $US2.175 million in early 2010.

At the time, Curbed reported that Ikea was cashing in on the little home’s big public profile by offering $US10,000 worth of furniture to the new owners. Their publicity department had decided that Ikea could best solve any challenges arising from furnishing such a small space.

The broker gushes that The Millay House has been “meticulously restored” and that “its colourful history and position firmly on the city’s tourist trail will help achieve that high price”.

“This is a place for someone who wants a bit of history, charm, and, well, uniqueness,” Alex Nicholas, real-estate broker for the Corcoran Group, told The Post. “But when you have the narrowest house in all New York, you’ll always be newsworthy.”

Over the years, various owners have employed clever tactics to squeeze extra space out of nowhere. The attic skylight made a huge difference, balconies overlooking the garden were added and the original beams were exposed to add a little more ceiling height.

The kitchen even had a custom stove at one time, with all four burners in a row against the wall, not the normal two-by-two layout.

The current advertisement makes it quite clear that, despite its tiny dimensions, the house is packed with luxury features.

Incredibly, there are three bedrooms and two full bathrooms. The master bathroom has a balcony overlooking the rear garden with an elegant claw-foot bathtub, separate shower, mosaic tiles and Italian marble finishes.

There are four wood-burning, Travertine marble fireplaces, original exposed beams and a fully finished basement retreat accessed via a trapdoor in the kitchen floor. Reclaimed oak floorboards have been laid throughout.

The agent’s ad says “The Millay House exemplifies the artistic heritage and cultural fabric of this fabled neighbourhood”.

“This unique and storied dwelling has been home to numerous luminaries”. The ad asks: “Will you follow in their footsteps?”

1982: Advertised for $US350,000Mid 90s: Sold for a reported $US270,000Mid 90s: $US200,000 spend on major renovations

1999: Advertised for $US2.75 million2000: Sold for $US1.6 million

2009: Advertised for $US2.75 million2009: Reduced to $US2.499 million2010: Sold for $US2.175 million